Best black and white laser printer for home use: our top choices
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The best black and white laser printers are perfect for home use: a cost-effective and convenient way of printing documents and forms as part of day-to-day life. They can still be costly investments, however, and failing to find the best printer can lead to bitter disappointment.
Black and white laser printers are easy to come by but hard to rank, so we’ve sifted through the market to find the most worthwhile choices for your home. For affordable and effective home printing solutions, check out the buyer’s guide below, with some of our reviewed printers included. Otherwise, you may also be interested in some color laser printers instead.
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Best Black and White Laser Printer
HP LaserJet M209dw
- Printer Output: Monochrome
- Printer Type: Laser
- Connectivity Technology: USB 2.0, 100Mbps Ethernet, WiFi 2.4/5GHz, Wi-Fi Direct, Mobile printing
- Duplex Printing: Yes, automatic
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Second Best Monochrome Laser PrinterBrother HL-L2300D
- Printer Output: Monochrome
- Printer Type: Laser
- Connectivity Technology: USB
- Duplex Printing: Yes
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Best Compact Black and White Laser PrinterHP LaserJet Pro M15w
- Printer Output: Monochrome
- Printer Type: Laser
- Connectivity Technology: USB, WiFi Direct, Companion App
- Duplex Printing: No
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Best Budget Black and White Laser PrinterCanon imageCLASS LBP6030w
- Printer Output: Monochrome
- Printing Type: Laser
- Connectivity Technology : USB, WiFi Direct
- Duplex Printing: No
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Best Large-Capacity Black and White Laser PrinterHP LaserJet Pro M118dw
- Printer Output: : Monochrome
- Printing Type: : Laser
- Connectivity Technology : USB, Ethernet, WiFi Direct
- Duplex Printing: Yes
How we picked the best black and white laser printers
When it came to finding the best black and white laser printers, there were several factors to research. We looked at the main statistical changes, such as sheet capacity, dimensions, and print quality, for a basic comparison, along with more subjective qualities that add value, such as customer reviews, warranties, and connectivity methods.
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Bear in mind that we are looking at laser printers specifically: while there are plenty of great InkJet printers for graphics and more colorful applications, most homes only need a good laser printer for black and white documents. These have the reputation of being faster, though less versatile—but don’t jump to judgment! Our top laser printers are all great devices, so they should satisfy most general-purpose needs!
With years of experience, both in testing printers and researching them, we know what to look for in them. That way, we can recommend the best options out there.
Our top picks
- Printer Output: Monochrome
- Printer Type: Laser
- Connectivity Technology: USB 2.0, 100Mbps Ethernet, WiFi 2.4/5GHz, Wi-Fi Direct, Mobile printing
- Duplex Printing: Yes, automatic
The HP LaserJet M209dw is a budget-friendly printer that’s laser-focused on one thing: producing sharp text and clean lines. It handles documents with crisp clarity and even supports duplex printing, making it a reliable workhorse for long print jobs. Beyond that, however, its capabilities are limited – there’s no scanner, no color printing, and graphics or gradients come out with low contrast and poor intensity. If your needs are strictly black-and-white documents or envelopes, however, the HP M209dw is a solid choice.
- Inexpensive to buy
- Automatic double-sided printing
- Automatic double-sided printing
- Easy and lightweight setup process
- Access to plenty of the insides for clearing jams
- Good connectivity options
- Only one paper feed
- Images lack contrast
- Doesn’t have smooth gradient intensities
- Included toner is low capacity, and replacements are expensive
- Lack of scanner and color very limiting in usefulness
If you’re after a great new monochrome laser printer, the HP LaserJet M209dw is the one to go for. The HP printer is a staple created for small businesses and is well-suited for large workloads at home. We put it to the test in our review of the printer, where it managed to easily run through our benchmarks, and we also timed its print.
In those, it easily ran through queue jobs; it did take a while to initialize with a 20-second start time, but then each one took just a few seconds. It even has automatic duplex printing available to it, which for a 10-page (5-sheet) print took a total of 46 seconds. Not the fastest but not the slowest either, and certainly good enough for a home laser printer.
When it comes to the quality of the prints, the straight lines and text were clear and of a high level. It only struggled with the contrast and brightness that don’t have a good fidelity and middle ground to them, and makes it difficult to make out details in images and sorts.
For the specs of the printer, the print resolution is 600 x 600 dpi on the laser, which utilizes HP LaserJet toner cartridges. Easy to replace, but expensive to do so with the chip on board that can protect against fakes. For the connectivity on the board, it has got wireless with 2.4 and 5GHz frequencies available to it, but also a wired option of USB-B 2.0 and 100Mbps Ethernet.
For the supported sizes, it does go up to A4 or 216x356mm with up to 100 sheets in the tray or 10 envelopes. But it is only one limited paper input, so for the home, it’s an ideal amount, but unless you’re printing more, you won’t be refilling it that often.
HP LaserJet M209dw prints, Image by PC Guide
HP LaserJet M209dw script, Image by PC Guide
- Printer Output: Monochrome
- Printer Type: Laser
- Connectivity Technology: USB
- Duplex Printing: Yes
This compact, affordable and lightweight printer under $200 is well worth it’s low cost, for rapid-fire black-and-white documents.
- Smart tracking – both page count and toner levels are tracked, so you know when to restock.
- Duplex printing – even double-sided prints are rendered in great time with the HL-L2300D.
- Lacks a compatible cable – though USB is the only means of connecting, the printer annoyingly doesn’t come with the required cable.
Taking the lead as today’s clear winner is the Brother HL- L2300D printer: a fantastic option for those who need to do lots of fast printing at home or the office. We’re big fans of Brother printers here at PC Guide, and this model is no exception. Quick and quiet, this laser printer is easy to use with great quality from the outset!
The HL-L2300D prints at an impressive 27 ppm and automatically prints two-sided, perfect printing articles, reports, or important documents! The printer prints at a speed of 13 pages per minute for double-sided and 26 for single-sided A4, offering quick printing when you need it. It is also compatible with Windows 7 and above, offering seamless integration from your PC to the printer itself.  The HL-L2300D also has a fantastic printer capacity of 100 sheets and a maximum monthly duty cycle of 10,000 pages! It makes it an excellent option for home or small business use. The quality is amazing too; you can expect sharp and professional quality for all your documents, with a resolution of 2400 x 600 dots per inch (DPI)!
There are only two nagging issues with this Brother printer: the first is that whilst the USB connection is reliable, the printer itself doesn’t come with a compatible cable. And without that, you have no wireless connection options, which really limits where you can place this printer. Other than that, the HL-L2300D is a great black-and-white laser printer that is ideal for homes and offices!
- Printer Output: Monochrome
- Printer Type: Laser
- Connectivity Technology: USB, WiFi Direct, Companion App
- Duplex Printing: No
Even more compact is the M15W from HP. For those working to both a financial and spatial budget, this is the print solution for you.
- Fast printing – with a general speed of 19 pages per minute, with a fast first page print, this printer remains highly productive.
- Energy saving – with a low base power draw and automatic switch-off, this is a great low-cost printer.
- Poor companion app – the poor HP app used for wireless printing can be cumbersome to use.
After a compact laser printer? HP has the perfect printer for you: their flagship LaserJet Pro M15w is 35% smaller than other models and still provides the professional quality printing that we expect from HP. A laser printer with great versatility, this is an ideal option for those wanting an easily stored home printer!
With the LaserJet Pro M15w, you can expect fast printing, with up to 19 pages per minute being printed. Your first page will be in your hands within 8.1 seconds, ideal for last-minute printers or those with a need for speed. The printer also comes with a gamut of reliable wireless connection options from any device. You can also use the HP smartphone app to scan your phone or tablet, order toner, and print from the cloud! If you have no WiFi network set up, you can still connect to the printer directly via WiFi Direct or a USB connection, so you never need to be without your printer!
That said, the HP app can be both a blessing and a curse, as it can be difficult to navigate at first – if you want to set up regular ink refills or cloud printing, it may take longer than you like. This learning curve aside, the LaserJet Pro M15w is still the best compact laser printer for those wanting speedy service in a small space!
- Printer Output: Monochrome
- Printing Type: Laser
- Connectivity Technology : USB, WiFi Direct
- Duplex Printing: No
Whilst most black and white laser printers are cheap, the LBP6030w is even more so, with a price well under $100.
- High yield – with a large paper capacity and toner capable of 1,600 pages, the LPB3060w is a productivity powerhouse.
- Low cost – the budget-friendly price of this printer is a clear draw.
- Poor print quality – unfortunately, the LPB3060w sacrifices quality to compensate for the cost, which reduces the overall value of this printer.
Canon printers are among the best and most versatile printers on the market, and their imageCLASS LPB3060w is no exception. An affordable and compact laser printer, this reliable choice saves you money both upfront and in the long run!
In its dedicated energy-saving mode, the printer only uses 2W of power—perfect for those looking to shave money off their bills. Not only is the printer low in energy use, but size too: its compact design means you can fit the printer virtually anywhere. The LPB3060w also has wireless connectivity, allowing you to print from almost anywhere in your workspace – and from any device—with ease. The printer has a 150-sheet capacity, and the black and white laser toner can print approximately 1,600 sheets of plain-text documents.
It’s not all good news with this budget printer, however. Whilst the design is quite compact, the print bay has to remain open whilst the printer runs, nearly doubling the length of the unit – make sure you accommodate that hanging drawer when storing it! The overall print quality isn’t as good as some other printers on this list, either, but that is a common factor in budget printers. And for such an economic and efficient printer, the LPB3060w is perfect for the environmentally-conscious home!
- Printer Output: : Monochrome
- Printing Type: : Laser
- Connectivity Technology : USB, Ethernet, WiFi Direct
- Duplex Printing: Yes
Another HP laser printer, the M118dw is a productivity powerhouse well-suited to home offices or high-volume businesses.
- Fast print speeds – printing at a blisteringly fast 30 pages per minutes and with a 250-sheet capacity, it’ll be you struggling to keep up with this printer rather than the other way around.
- Varied connectivity options – print from a phone, PC or any other device thanks to the M118w’s range of connectivity options.
- Lacks a display screen – it can be hard to find out even the most basic internal information about this printer, as it lacks a display.
For the best printer capacity in a monochrome laser printer, consider the HP LaserJet Pro M118dw. Though a handful of letters and numbers may seem to be the only difference between this and the M15w we mentioned earlier, there’s a lot more than meets the eye.
The M118dw holds up to 250 sheets in its tray and can print up to 150 sheets in one go, printing 30 pages per minute. The quality is a standout feature: you can expect crisp graphics and text, ideal for those printing reports with charts or graphs. You can print easily, too, thanks to the wireless nature of the printer. Control it via an app on your smartphone or tablet, or plug it in traditionally with a USB cable—and even set up a voice-activation system.
There is a big potential drawback to this printer, which holds it back from the top spot in our list of the best black-and-white laser printers: lacking a display screen, it can be very difficult to set the M118dw up—and with the barebones documentation it comes packaged with, that problem is exacerbated. For those familiar with printers, this shouldn’t be a problem, and we still recommend it as a top choice for high-volume printing.
- Printer Output: : Monochrome
- Printer Type: : Laser
- Connectivity Technology: : Wi-Fi, USB 2.0
- Duplex Printing?: No
For some added versatility to your monochrome prints, the P2502W has some decent multimedia features at a low price.
- Affordable – the sub-$100 price point makes it a great affordable print solution.
- Efficient printing – with high-yield toner and fast print speeds, this laser printer can churn out copies with ease.
- Incompatible with Chromebook – the only device this wireless printer can’t connect to is a Chromebook. So if that’s your device of choice, check out our guide on the best printers for Chromebook.
For those after an affordable option, the Pantum P250W is here to answer all your prayers! Their laser printer can print up to 22 pages per minute or 23 if printing letters, perfect for home or business use.
The printer can print in m multiple sizes alongside A4, making for a more versatile print solution. Though it won’t match an InkJet printer for invitations, you’ve some decent options for printing. The P2502W is straightforward to set up, too; it can be done in just one wireless step. Pantum’s printer can print with phones, tablets, and laptops easily via a wireless connection or a USB cable.
The one group of people that this printer isn’t for is Chromebook users: due to some design oversight, devices running Chrome are incompatible. For everyone else, however, the P2502W is a great, versatile laser printing solution for your home!
Features and Considerations
There are some general rules-of-thumb when searching for the best black and white laser printer – consider these before making your purchase:
Compatibility
Perhaps the most vital factor is the compatibility of the printer. After all, what’s the point in purchasing the printer if it won’t work with your device? These days, most printers are compatible with a range of operating systems, ensuring that you can print with ease, but it is still worth checking. Some users, particularly Apple users, struggle with compatibility issues, especially when installing the software onto their devices.
Some printers require little software to be installed and are better options here. An excellent place to check the compatibility is the product description or customer reviews for an accurate understanding of how well the printer will perform with your current operating system. Look out for printers that can be operated by phones or tablets, too, as these offer more flexibility and tend to have universal compatibility.
Wired or Wireless?
When purchasing your printer, you will need to decide between a wired or wireless printer (or both). Wired printers will require a USB connection to your device to print your documents, which can leave you anchored, especially if you have a lot to print and limited time. Wireless printers tend to offer more flexibility and allow a range of devices to connect to print.
However, some wireless printers can have connection issues and be a pain to sort out if you swap WiFi providers. Printers that offer both a wired and wireless connection offer the best of both worlds and can be used by a range of devices. In these cases, check that the printer comes with a USB wire to avoid purchasing one separately! You will also need to consider adapters if your laptop only has a USB-C port.
Printer Speed
The speed at which your printer can print sheets is vital, especially for those using the printer for work. Ideally, the faster, the better, as you can compile reports quickly and grab your pages as you head out the door! Look out for the pages per minute (ppm) speed listed on the printer to assess its speed. Ideally, you want multiple pages per minute to save time when printing. Some printers will even offer a page-per-second ratio, where you can see one sheet printed in less than 10 seconds.
Toner Economy
The amount of ink being used on the page will impact the printing time, especially if you are printing images. As most black and white printers are used for documents, you can use the printer speed as an accurate representation of how long it will take. Keep an eye out for printers that automatically print double-sided, and the times for these can be slightly different. Automatic double-sided printing is fantastic for work documents and college work; just be sure to adjust the settings should you need vital documentation printed for any insurance policies!
What is a Laser Printer?
Laser printers, as the name suggests, use a laser beam to heat powdered ink and transfer text and imagery onto paper. This means that printed pages are instantly dry and ready to use within moments. Most office printers utilize a form of laser printing technology in their machines, as it makes for fast printing in high volumes. Due to their fairly rudimentary printing format, they aren’t as well-suited to photos as InkJet printers are – but still deliver reliable documents.
Are laser printers being phased out?
Some companies have ended production of laser printers, such as Epson, which commits to more efficient and sustainable tech. But there are plenty of others that are continuing the production and providing models to choose from.
Is it cheaper to get a black-and-white printer?
Black and white printers are both cheaper to buy and cheaper to run. If you are sure you will not need color printing and want to save a bit of cash, it is probably a better idea to get a black-and-white printer.
Verdict
There are plenty of outstanding printers on the market that are sure to enhance your office. For the overall best black and white laser printer, it’s hard to beat the HP LaserJet M209dw. A quick and effective print solution for your home or office. If you are looking for a long-term investment in ink efficiency, consider our buyer’s guide on the best ink tank printers on the market!
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